The Tampa Bay Lightning provided a couple of injury updates ahead of their matchup on Monday against the Philadelphia Flyers. One of the highlights was that center Dominic James could be back soon.
According to multiple reports that came from head coach Jon Cooper's availability earlier on Monday, he'll become day-to-day after the game.
Emil Lilleberg out tonight, day to day but might miss a week, Dominic James will be day to day after tonight’s game, Crozier draws in as #GoBolts will go 11-7 again vs Flyers #TBLightning
— Lightning Insider (@Erik_Erlendsson) October 5, 2026
James has been recovering from a broken hand for about three weeks. He was expected to miss the first two weeks of the season. Being day-to-day would still line up, for the most part, with that timeline.
At the most, he'd be back about a week sooner than that.
A Boost to the Bottom Six on the Horizon
The 24-year-old center entered the conversation after opting to sign his entry-level contract with the Lightning instead of the team that drafted him, the Chicago Blackhawks. Unlike others, he wasn't a prospect to watch, but that comes with the circumstances.
However, it didn't take long to establish himself. A few games of strong play in the AHL, and he never looked back.
His breakout game came in Vegas against the Golden Knights on Nov. 6, 2025, when he tallied three points. It marked his first career points and first career goal.
Over 43 games last season, he picked up eight goals and seven assists for 15 points. He was starting to pick up the pace in his final 12 games of action last season, tallying four goals and three assists for seven points. Then, he sustained a leg injury that kept him out until the playoffs.
His progress continued after the missed time. In the final three games of the playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, James got his name on the scoresheet each time, including two goals.
He saw an increase from 0.3 points per game in his first 31 games to 0.6 points per game in those 12 games leading up to his injury. After he shook the rust off from the missed time, he was an impact player during the playoffs when many were having trouble stepping up.
Even his ability at the dot took a step forward in that time. His faceoff win percentage improved from 45% to 59.4%, a substantial improvement.
The Lightning can very well expect to get another boost to their scoring depth, along with some extra help at center. He may need some time to get going after missing much of training camp, preseason and some regular-season games. Once he does, he should have no issue helping fill out the bottom six.
It's unknown how much he'll help the power play, which has been held scoreless so far. His power-play goal in the playoffs was his lone time scoring with the man advantage last season. All other production came when they were 5-on-5. Nothing when 4-on-4, shorthanded, etc.
That's something we'll have to wait and see what transpires. Helping the team in 5-on-5, knowing where other deficiencies could be, is still valuable.
Keep an eye out. Once the page turns to Tuesday, it could be at any time.
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